A five-year-old goddess, raised to become an emperor for all time through a bronze mirror.

In the dead of night, the archaeological laboratory was quiet, with only the bright and steady light from the incandescent bulbs overhead illuminating every corner.

Gu Qingyue stood alone among them, gazing intently at the gilded bamboo slips displayed before him, his slender fingertips gently brushing over the ancient inscriptions engraved on them.

At the same time, an advanced holographic projector is operating in mid-air, outlining the ever-changing forms of the ancient seal script of the Southern Liang Dynasty with delicate and precise lines.

As time went by, the eight mysterious words "Black Bird Carrying Mirror, Nine Stars in a Row" gradually became clear in the air.

At that moment, Gu Qingyue seemed to be able to hear her own heart pounding wildly, its intense rhythm threatening to shatter the silence that had filled the laboratory.

"Professor Shen, please come and take a look at this!"

Gu Qingyue tried hard to suppress the slight tremor caused by his excitement. He quickly picked up the AR glasses beside him and walked briskly toward Shen Qinghuan, the history professor who was carefully organizing the silk manuscripts not far away.

At this moment, Shen Qinghuan was wearing a pure white gown. When she turned around, the mutton-fat jade pendant around her neck inadvertently slipped off her collar and was exposed to the cold light.

The jade pendant was warm and smooth, with a bright and lustrous color, radiating a captivating glow, as dazzling as the twinkling stars in the night sky.

Shen Qinghuan's gaze was quickly drawn to the holographic projection handed to her, and she stared intently at the text and patterns displayed on it.

Just then, the jade pendant that had been hanging quietly on her chest suddenly emitted a clear and melodious sound, as sweet and melodious as a nightingale singing in a valley.

Almost subconsciously, Shen Qinghuan stretched out her slender fingers and gently stroked the small "Nian" character engraved on the inside of the jade pendant, because she knew that this was a unique mark passed down through generations of the Shen family.

According to detailed records in the Book of Liang, during the third year of Chengping, a breathtaking scene appeared in the vast and boundless sky—an enormous meteorite, like a raging flame, streaked across the sky at an astonishing speed with a long tail.

It was like a mysterious ray of light from outer space, attracting people's astonished gazes, before finally crashing heavily to the earth, raising billowing dust and creating a deafening roar.

This unexpected visitor from outer space quickly spread far and wide, causing quite a stir.

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Yuan of Liang, Pei Yunjing, who was ruling the country from the throne at the time, felt an indescribable surge of emotion deep within him.

His deep, wise eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

A moment later, he decisively issued an edict, ordering the country's most skilled and ingenious craftsmen to immediately begin casting a phoenix bronze mirror.

However, just as everyone was busily preparing for the casting, the originally calm and peaceful atmosphere inside was suddenly shattered by an unexpected turn of events.

All that could be heard was the advanced spectrometer, representing the most cutting-edge technology, placed on the experimental table. For some unknown reason, without any warning, it suddenly burst into an extremely sharp and ear-piercing beep.

The sound was like an incredibly sharp sword, piercing straight through the sky, its penetrating power sending chills down one's spine.

In an instant, the tranquility that had once filled the room was mercilessly torn into countless fragments, which scattered everywhere.

Time flies by like a fleeting moment, and before we know it, night has completely enveloped the world, and it is midnight.

At this moment, all around was quiet and still, as if all living things had entered a sweet dream.

In this silence, only the ancient clock tower in the distance remains steadfast in its post, its melodious, deep, and resonant chimes echoing every now and then.

The sound of the bell transcends the barriers of time and space, drifting gently through the night sky, giving people a sense of solemnity and reverence.

At this very moment, in the slightly old and weathered attic of the Shen family's old residence, Shen Qinghuan and Gu Qingyue stood quietly side by side.

Their figures appeared exceptionally tall and slender in the moonlight, like two silent sculptures.

A gentle breeze blew by, causing their clothes to flutter and dance, adding to their ethereal and otherworldly charm.

The bright, clear moonlight streamed through the delicate diamond-shaped window, gently scattering across the bronze mirror placed in the sandalwood box, like a layer of silver gauze lightly covering it.

Gu Qingyue carefully picked up the 3D scanner and aimed it at the knob of the bronze mirror, trying to accurately capture the exquisite black bird pattern on it.

However, during his operation, an unexpected scene unfolded—the Big Dipper suddenly lit up on the smooth, mirror-like bronze surface, like a dazzling pearl in the night sky.

At the same time, strange ripples, like waves on water, began to appear on the bronze surface of the mirror, spreading out in a dreamlike and ethereal way.

"Wait!" Shen Qinghuan, who had sharp eyes, saw this and quickly reached out to grab Gu Qingyue's wrist tightly, her expression tense and focused.

"This star chart arrangement..."

As she muttered to herself, she quickly brought up software on her tablet that was specifically designed to simulate the trajectories of stars.

After a tense comparison of the data, she looked up in astonishment, staring directly at Gu Qingyue, and said:

"Tonight's star trails perfectly match the record of the famous nine-planet alignment astronomical phenomenon in the third year of the Chengping era!"

Suddenly, the bronze mirror emitted an extremely dazzling golden light, as brilliant and captivating as the sun, making it difficult to look directly at. In that instant, the surrounding spacetime seemed to fall into a strange state of quantum entanglement, and began to collapse rapidly.

When Gu Qingyue slowly opened his eyes again, an intensely hot wave of air, carrying a strong, pungent smell of burnt wood, rushed towards him like a tidal wave. Before him, the once magnificent palace was engulfed in flames, its vermilion beams teetering precariously in the inferno before finally collapsing with a muffled roar.

Amidst this sea of ​​fire, a man dressed in a black imperial robe knelt silently in the center of the hall, cradling the phoenix bronze mirror. The twelve-tasseled jade ornaments on his head swayed and trembled with the rolling heat waves, emitting a clear and melodious tinkling sound.

"Your Majesty!" Shen Qinghuan's terrified cry suddenly rang out, like a thunderclap in Gu Qingyue's ears, making his heart tremble.

He hurriedly followed Shen Qinghuan's gaze and saw deep within the raging flames...